The Promise
by Jish
Summary: Phil and Claire are about to become parents for the first time. Claire starts to worry that they won't be good enough, but Phil puts her worries to rest. Complete.


**Disclaimer: I do not in ANY WAY own Modern Family.**

**A/N: Yes, another Modern Family story. And this time, instead of a project like the magnitude of "Influence" (which I highly recommend you guys read if you like this little story) and what its sequel will almost-certainly be, I instead bring a tiny oneshot. I know it's short, but I hope you guys enjoy it regardless.**

**Also, please review!**

**Here it is:**

**The Promise**

It's going to happen. And it's going to happen any day now.

Any day now…until I have my first child.

It's going to be a girl, and we're naming her Haley. Phil really likes the name I picked out for her. I've been pregnant for nine months, and very soon she's going to be in this world, and in this house with us.

Sure, this isn't exactly where I envisioned my life going at this age or in these circumstances. I have a business degree and I was planning on doing something really big to help support my family, but I like this. I'm going to be a stay-at-home Mom, while my husband is going to be the one to bring home the money. That doesn't mean we're not equals. He thinks of me just as equal, if not _more_ valuable as he is. Phil…is just the best husband and he is going to be a great father…

Right?

"Hey, Phil?" I ask my husband who's next to me in bed. He's watching some movie and I was reading but my mind got a bit side-tracked.

"Yeah, honey?" He pauses the movie and looks at me. I put my hand on my enormous belly and give a weak smile.

"No matter what, we're going to love her and our children in the future, right?" I ask. His face gets…worried. Then, it softens and he looks…warm.

"Of course, Claire. Why would even ask such a thing? All I've ever wanted was a family. I have the best wife, I'm going to have a beautiful daughter, and I know we're going to have a boy in the future and maybe another boy or girl. I wouldn't give any of that up for _anything_. Why…why do you even feel the need to ask this, Claire?" He asks me, and I just rub my belly for a second.

Why…

"Just because…growing up was tough for Mitchell and me. Our parents always fought. My mom wanted to make my life, and she succeeded in so many ways such as embarrassing me and just making me so crazy, miserable. And Dad…he had such a hard time accepting Mitchell even a little. And he still doesn't like it all that much, but at least he _tolerates_ him. It's just…

"…I just don't want to be like my Mom and make my kids hate me. And I don't want them to ever feel like they're not good enough or something would be wrong with them like Mitchell felt. I especially don't want them to _ever_ feel like hurting themselves or…killing themselves. I'm just _so_ scared, Phil." I say, and feel the tears run down my cheeks. I quickly wipe them away.

"Oh, Claire…" Phil says and gently pulls me into his chest. I love it when he does this; I feel so protected, so safe, so _loved_ by my husband that I would never want this moment to end if I wasn't going to have a child any time. "I love you so much, Claire." He says, and I just continue laying.

"I love you too, Phil." I say, and I feel his hand rub my abdomen. He's thinking.

"Claire...you don't _ever_ have to worry about our children not being accepted or them hating you. For one, just _realizing_ that you don't want to be your parents proves how much you love them and how hard you'll try and succeed. And we will accept them _no matter what_. I don't care if they would be gay or transgender or straight or a cheerleader or a musician or an athlete or an actor or a singer or _anything_. I just would want them to do whatever makes them happy. If they want to do what we do or did, that's amazing. If they want to do something completely different, that's amazing." Phil says, and I have to raise my head and look at his face.

"Really?" I ask him, almost desperately. I feel _nothing_ like the woman I felt like lately. I would blame the pregnancy, but I think I've just been hiding these fears and they finally just came out.

"Of course, honey. You and this child, my family, are the most important things in my life. Why would I try to jeopardize that?" He asks me, and I pull him in for a kiss. He returns it and I pull away with a smile. "I just want them to follow their dreams, be happy, safe, and I want them to be able to count on us for whatever support or help they need or desire." He finishes, and…he's just amazing.

"I think I just needed the confirmation. You promise all of that, Phil?" I ask him one last time. Just those two words.

"Yes, Claire. I promise." He says, and he just holds me for another minute before we get back to what we were doing: him watching his movie and me reading my book. "I love you." He says a moment later. I smile into my book.

"I love you too, Phil." I say and get back to reading.

Yes, this isn't where I thought I was going to be if I was asked five years ago. But, this is good. This is how it's supposed to be. My husband, and my baby who-

Ahh…

…I felt the baby kick. Oh, Haley…

I know you, and all your future siblings, are going to be just fine.

**A/N: This was kind of way too short. I could barely reach my thousand word minimum length, author's notes inclusive. And it's because of that struggle that I think this might have suffered a bit. But I just had to write it because I've been reading and hearing about all these awful things and this popped into my head and…it pretty much wrote itself. Regardless of the short length, I hope you guys enjoyed this little oneshot. Also, don't forget to review!**


End file.
